With the passage of every year, even daily chores become a herculean task for elderly people. The bones aren’t that strong, several diseases keep them awake at night, and their eyesight gets blurry. At such a stage of life, all senior citizens need the support of their children or other family members.
From making sure they are taking medicines on time to making a bed for them, there is always a lot to do, but the one thing that you should always focus on is making your parents independent as this is what they want. There is one part of the daily chores that is the most challenging part of every elderly person’s life and that is bathing.
From the slipper tiles to not being able to get up after sitting, there are many problems senior citizens have to face while bathing. But you can make bathing safe and independent for such people by buying the right kind of bath lift.
If you have elderly people with balance issues and if bath lifts sound like an alien term to you, you have come to the right place. In this blog post, we will discuss how bath lifts can become a life-savor for senior citizens.
What is a bath lift?
It is a type of battery-operated chair that is designed to maximize bath time safety, comfort, and convenience. All that one has to do is press the button on the hand control, a bath lift can lower a person down in the water and once you are done, it can lift you up. Bath lifts are ideal for those people who find getting in and out of the bath a daunting task.
Since it is a type of powered device, it needs to be connected to the bathtub. A bath lift chair works by simply elevating and lowering the person in and out of the bathtub. After using the patient lifting devices for home use, bathing becomes safer and independent.
A standard bath lift has a seat and a backrest and it is electrically controlled. Doesn’t matter whether it is an injury or just old age that is preventing a person from safely getting in and out of the bath, a bath lift is a must.
What is the difference between a bath hoist and a bath lift?
Bath hoists lift the user on the seat that needs to be mounted to a strong column and this column needs to be attached to the ceiling or floor.
Bath hoists are considered ideal for all those users who are in a wheelchair and they find taking a bath at home a herculean task because of their confined mobility. A bath hoist can be powered or manual but if it is manual, there is always a need for another person to operate it, and therefore, we can’t say that it makes a person fully independent.
While on the other side, bath lifts simply sit within a bathtub and elevate and lower the user in and out of the bath. If a person can easily sit on the edge of a bathtub and is still able to raise his legs over the edge into the bathtub, a bath lift for seniors will be a perfect option.
Why buy a bath lift?
There are many people out there for whom taking a bath on their own is a simple daily chore but an important luxury. But if you find it difficult to get in and out of the bath and if just raising your leg over the edge of the bathtub proves to be difficult, the so-called relaxing session in the bathroom can become an uncomfortable, risky, and stressful activity.
This becomes more problematic when you don’t have a level-access shower at home. With a quality bathtub lift, bathing can become safe, relaxing, and comfortable as well. The best part is all the bath tubs suitable for standard baths are easily removable as well. This means that even after using a bath lift chair, the bathroom is going to stay functional for other family members as well.
What to look for while buying a bath lift?
One of the first things that you should look for is it should be easy to use and easy to store as well. Since it will be used by people with confined movements, it is necessary for the bath lift to be highly user-friendly. Also, you should consider the comfort, compatibility, and weight limit of the bath lift you are going to purchase.
A bath lift is necessary for those people who are either in wheelchairs or who find it difficult to take bath due to old age or an injury. Just make sure you buy the bath lift from a reputed seller.
